Chapter 11

—SATURDAY—It was evening, and Ethan was at home. He was bored, tired of watching movies; his stomach ached from too much ice cream and junks, and he didn’t even feel like going out, so he lay on his bed scrolling through the internet on his phone. Then he saw a post Lucien made two minutes ago, a picture of him holding someone’s hand, captioned “Beautiful evening with someone special.”Ethan scrolled like he did every other post; he didn’t even feel a thing or dwell on it. Then he remembered something: he paints. He quickly got up from bed; that’s a perfect way to kill boredom. He started searching for his paints, brushes and other things he needed to paint, but couldn’t find any. He turned his room upside down but found nothing; he even went as far as checking the closet. Then it clicked: Lucien had once told him it was a waste of time that no one looks at paintings anymore and that he hated the smell of paint, and like a lapdog, he had thrown everything in the basement

Last Updated : 2026-07-26

Chapter 12

—SATURDAY, CARLOS MANSION— Carlos took his last step down the stairs, phone in his right hand, clad in a black casual top and grey sweatpants; his hair was messy and stuck to his face, indicating he had just had his bath. He looked around the house; it was neat. He nodded to himself when he touched some spots in the house, and they were clean. He hated dirt.He walked into the kitchen to the maids; he never let them stay. Immediately, they were done for the day. He always made sure they left; he hates too many people in his private space.“G..Good morning, sir.” The maid by the door, who noticed his presence, greeted him. The second looked up, “Good morning, Mr Carlos.”“Hmm.” Carlos hummed as he got a cup and headed to the coffee brewer to make coffee for himself. The maid's eyes widened as one of them quickly rushed over to him,“I…I’ll help you with this air.” She gave a tight smile, trying to collect the cup from him.“No, never mind, it’s just coffee, I can handle it mys

Last Updated : 2026-07-27

Chapter 13

—MONDAY, LUCIEN’s APARTMENT — Ethan got down from his bed and headed into his bathroom, he picked up his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth, his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror and he paused as a random realization hit him, he’s spending from a credit card from his family, his car is from his mum, literally everything he could call his own was somehow purchased by his parents m, he can’t point a finger to something Lucien got for him and they have been in a relationship for over three years, and what hit most was that he was fucking twenty five!!His hand shot slightly on the toothbrush; he had always wanted to be independent, and he thought he was until today. There and then, he decided he needed to get a job. After finishing his business in the bathroom, he picked out a complete set of office wear; he only had them in his closet, and he had never actually worn them. He quickly put them on; he brushed his hair and sprayed himself. He looked at his reflection a

Last Updated : 2026-07-27

Chapter 14

—THE NEXT DAY, LUCIEN’S APARTMENT—It was just 6 a.m., but Ethan was already up. He yawned and stretched before getting out of bed."First impression matters," he mumbled to himself before walking into the bathroom to do his morning business.He stood in front of the mirror while brushing his teeth."This is Ethan Vale. This is who you are. This is who you were, so don't be nervous. You got this," he said to himself.It might be his dad's company, but since his dad had made that statement earlier, one thing was for sure—it wouldn't be easy. He might even get harder interview questions because of that.He finished taking his bath and walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hand, which he was using to dry his hair. His eyes caught his credentials on the dressing table. He had laid them out yesterday before going to bed.He walked up to it and sat down. He still had to revise some things. He grabbed his phone and started making research on possible questio

Last Updated : 2026-07-28

Chapter 15

Ethan got out of the cab; he paid the driver and walked into the building. He was still fidgeting. As he walked in, staff turned, pausing mid-conversation. They all looked shocked, not because he had come to the company that early, but because his eyes were red and he had dried tear stains on his cheeks.Ethan's smile faltered. Why were they staring that much? His usual greetings were all gone, replaced with shocked expressions on their faces."Did Dad already tell them I was going to be a staff member from the start here?" he wondered.His phone dinged, interrupting his thoughts. His eyes popped wide when he saw his own reflection on his phone screen. He looked back up at the staff who now took their eyes away.So that was why they had been staring that much?He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face, cleaning off his dried tears. That gone, there was nothing he could do about his red, puffy eyes.He pocketed his phone back before walking further to his dad's office. It was al